Chair of Process Control Engineering (PLT)

At the core of the research work is the modeling of control functions and systems, following the methodical, model driven synthesis approach. Current research themes, for instance, are concerned with the development of consistent process engineering strategies, and new concepts for monitoring flows, pumps and balances. One emphasis is the so called automation of automation. For this, rules are developed as to how, starting from the requirements and keeping to the given constraints, the automation functions themselves can be automatically generated. Of special interest are, for instance, concepts for the autonomous, self-management of distributed systems; they adapt themselves independently to their task and the environment. This characteristic is as interesting for complex systems, like those that arise in the widely ramified information networks of production plants, as it is for mobile robots.

The Chair of Process Control Engineering covers the field of process automation in research and teaching. Established in 1991, the chair has been held by Professor Epple since 1995. In teaching, the chair offers lectures for courses in Materials Engineering, Process Engineering, Automation Engineering, Computational Engineering Science, and Industrial Engineering, as for example the lecture on “Introduction to the dynamics of technical systems and process measurement technology”. For higher semesters and Masters programmes, lectures are offered on “Introduction to process control engineering”, “Optimisation, models of control technology”, and “Dynamics of technical systems for advanced learners”.